Dominic Thiem set to face Kei Nishikori at 2018 French Open

Dominic Thiem is into the round of 16 at the 2018 French Open. Up next for the young star is Japanese tennis player Kei Nishikori.

This weekend, rising star Dominic Thiem faces one of his biggest challenges at the 2018 French Open. He takes on Japanese tennis star Kei Nishikori. The Japanese veteran is coming off of a strong performance at the Italian Open. Nishikori continues his return from injury like several other top players in men’s singles tennis. He has been plagued by a lingering wrist injury over the last year. Thiem could have the advantage in their matchup, but a win will not come easy.

So far, Nishikori has two straight-set wins at Roland Garros. His most difficult match came against Benoît Paire of France who took him to five sets.

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Thiem appears to also be cruising through the competition at the 2018 French Open. He has dropped just two sets through his first three matches. His round of 16 meeting with Nishikori pits two of the sport’s most capable players against one another. The young Austrian enters Roland Garros as the 7th seed whereas Nishikori is the 19th seed. Thiem is the current world No. 8 on the ATP World Tour and Nishikori is the world No. 21. Looking at their career head-to-head though, Nishikori has a 2-0 record versus the younger Austrian tennis star.

Dominic Thiem already has two singles titles on the 2018 ATP World Tour. He is seeking his first career Grand Slam title this month at Roland Garros. Up next for Thiem is Kei Nishikori.

Next: Serena's Impressive French Open

Dominic Thiem has reached the semifinals at Roland Garros the past two years. Nishikori, on the other hand, has only gone as far as the quarterfinals throughout his career. Elsewhere at the French Open, Novak Djokovic continues on. He, like Nishikori, is continuing a return from injury. Rafael Nadal remains the heavy favorite moving forward and players like Thiem will need to be at their very best if they hope to taste glory at the major tournament.